March 6, 2020
Get a perfect hair part every time, the low-card snacks to munch on RN, 8Greens lets you drink your veggies, the "clean" dry shampoo I can't live without and a DIY wellness test.
Excerpts:
The hair tool you didn't know you need
I’ve been on-call for jury duty for the past two weeks, which means I haven’t been able to make any appointments whatsoever. This also means that I am so overdue for a haircut and color that I can’t fathom wasting my time blow-drying my hair. Instead, I’ve been slicking it back into a mini-bun when it’s wet, occasionally with a part so it looks like I made at least a little bit of effort. I don’t know about you, but it’s not so easy for me to get a razor-sharp line—but alas, there’s a hack for that.
I don’t recall exactly how I found Leandro Limited’s Tokyo Tort Parting Tool, but this might be the best $14 I’ve ever spent (at least on my hair). Basically one of those old-school plastic Goody headbands with the addition of a sliding “point” that creates a precise part as you glide it from the front to the back of your head, you’re guaranteed a perfectly straight line every time. It works on wet hair, dry hair—and it even makes slightly greasy hair look 1,000 times better since a little extra oil helps keep stray hairs and flyaways under control. The perfect way to make a ponytail look purposeful or change up your usual style, trust me, you need this.
The low-carb snacks I'm crushing right now
I am definitely more of a small-meals-and-snacks than a major-meal person. I think this is mainly due to my IBS-induced fear of gastric distress—in addition to a dash of laziness, probably because I generally prepare three full meals for my son (and one for my husband) every damn day. After all that food prep, I’m cooked and don’t have the energy or creativity to whip something up for myself. (Hence the Tupperware of grilled chicken you’ll find in my refrigerator at all times.)
I also go through food “stages,” whether paleo, keto or low-carb because I’ve found my metabolism needs a reset from time to time or else it gets a little lazy, too. I’ve gradually transitioned from hard-core keto to a more flexible low-carb diet, and I’m come across some pretty amazing treats. I actually made a Whole Foods run today to restock, and here’s what came home with me…
Smart Sweets
For whatever reason, I was introduced to Swedish Fish later in life than most, and once I tried them, I was hooked. But they are a rare treat because candy most certainly isn’t in my regular food rotation. Then I tried Smart Sweets’ Sweet Fish and I can’t imagine my life without them. I love the taste and the texture is not that far off from the real thing. But don’t freak when you read the nutrition facts and see 42g of carbs, because when you do the math (by subtracting the fiber and allulose) each bag only has 12 net carbs. I’ve also tried the Peach Rings, but I’ll stick with the Sweet Fish.
Moon Cheese
I could probably subsist on cheese alone—but obviously I’m not. I can totally inhale half a block in a sitting, which is why I stick to cheese sticks, Babybel and those little bries from Trader Joe’s for portion control. But these nuggets of yumminess have become a go-to, especially when I want something crunchy.
Emmy’s Organics
I like a good cookie, too—but they’re somewhat hard to come by when trying to limit carbs. The Peanut Butter version was the first I tried and it was love at first bite, and today I scooped up a bag of Chocolate Chip. Just know these are very coconut-y (like Passover macaroon coconut-y) in case that’s not your jam.
Rhythm Superfoods Cauliflower Bites
I bought these on a whim, not sure how they were going to be, and I’m so glad I did. Crunchy, flavorful and a great alternative to chips (because I love dip, too), I my life wouldn’t be complete without these. I get the Sea Salt because I’m not a fan of buffalo anything—and I’m repulsed by white cheddar dust (despite my affinity for everything else cheese-based) because I must have eaten too much Smartfood in the 90s.
The only downside of these snacks: They’re kind of pricey, which is why I keep them in a dedicated bin in the pantry that my son and husband know they aren’t allowed to touch. What are your favorite low-carb snacks when you have the munchies?
Say "Cheers!" to healthy, youthful-looking skin
I like to think I’m a bit too young to be part of the Alka-Seltzer generation, but I am definitely familiar with the iconic “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz.” I’ll take everyone’s word that these effervescent tablets are great for indigestion or a hangover, but I much prefer this delivery system to ingest nutrients that are going to benefit my skin. That’s why I’m loving the new 8Greens Skin (but they had me at “A Facial in a Glass”).
Based on the original 8Greens tablet formula that contains the nutritional equivalent of more green tea, broccoli, aloe, kale, collard greens, spinach, peppermint and alfalfa than you can possibly eat in a day (or even a week), the new Skin version also has as much biotin as 187 pounds of salmon (!!!) and marine collagen (which is totally trending right now).
And it actually tastes good! Yes, there’s definitely a “green” taste—but it’s minimized by the apple flavor. If you don’t believe me, my extremely picky 11-year-old son drank it (only after I told him he would never have to eat vegetables again if he had one of these every day—maybe not my finest parenting).
So what can you expect? First and foremost, a thank-you from your body for giving it a sh*t-ton of vitamins and minerals. But beyond that, these anti-aging tables are said to promote skin elasticity, minimize redness and reduce acne with no sugar and just 10 calories. I can 100% say you have nothing to lose and a lot to potentially gain—and the worst thing that could happen is you just drank an extra glass of water. Regardless, I’m down to my last tablet and not all that happy about it.
Never miss your dry-shampoo "window" again
Have you ever noticed that if you wait too long before your first post-washing dry-shampoo application you’re totally screwed? I rarely have this problem if I blow-dry later in the day (and give myself a spritz the morning after), but if I style in the morning and forget to take preventative measures before bed, it’s hard to salvage my strands in the AM.
In my quest to find a “clean” dry shampoo (since I use so damn much of it), I ordered every sample size available from The Detox Market. Kaia Naturals' The Takesumi Detox Overnight Dry Shampoo was one of them, and it’s been a total gamechanger.
Available in blonde and brunette versions, it’s one step ahead of oil (and odor) thanks to activated charcoal and an amazing scent. Although it’s non-aerosol, it leaves surprisingly little powdery residue once you rub it in—and sometimes it makes my hair look so good before bed I wish I was in my 20s and just getting ready to go out for the night. Come morning, my hair is fresh, still clean and yet to fall flat, which helps me get ready and out the door faster. As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”—and this applies to your blowout, too.
Kaia Naturals The Takesumi Detox Overnight Dry Shampoo
EWG/Skin Deep® Score: 3
Now you can actually assess your wellness
My wellness and beauty routines are completely different (although there is some overlap). My current wellness to-do list includes exercise (six days a week), limiting sugar, Heliocare supplements for extra sun protection from within (since it’s convertible season and I’ve been playing a lot of tennis), chlorophyll (because this story I wrote convinced me), ashwadandha (for calm, because trying to spell it stresses me out), drinking MagicMag (to keep things moving, if you know what I mean), probiotics and small doses of self-care throughout the day, such as a few spritzes of aromatherapy mist.
But at the end of the day, do we know if any of our wellness efforts are actually doing something? Feeling good is one thing, but the placebo effect is another. So when I came across Vivoo, I had to try it—and it’s as easy as peeing on a stick once a week. Each stick has eight boxes, which are used to measure your body’s hydration level, pH, immunity, kidney function, liven function, UTI risk and ketones.
Week 1, here’s how I fared:
Overall wellness: Moderate
Hydration: Dehydrated (In my defense, I was outside all afternoon, didn’t drink that much water and had a few glasses of wine before I took the test.)
pH: Acidic (One word: Wine.)
Immunity: Great
Kidney function: Great
Liver function: Great (Surprisingly.)
UTI risk: None
Ketones: Negative
Then, Week 2:
Overall wellness: Great (!)
Hydration: Overhydrated (I’ll take it.)
pH: Optimal
Immunity: Great
Kidney function: Great
Liver function: Great (Still surprised.)
UTI risk: None
Ketones: Negative
I’m obligated to say that Vivoo is not meant to be a medical diagnostic tool, but if you’re one who likes as much insight into your body as possible (and don’t mind peeing on a stick), it’s a very fulfilling experience—especially if you’ve recently stepped up your wellness game and need motivation to keep going. On the flip side, if you want to see what a weekend of going off the rails does to your body, I suppose Vivoo could give you proof that it’s time to clean up your act. Either way, it’s entertaining at the very least—and the occasional wellness tips the app provides help you stick with the program. I give it a thumbs up!